Knife-grinding machine



No. 62I,204. Patented Mar. I4, |899. G. F. BALLOU.

KNIFEv GRINDING MACHINE.

(Application filed Nov. 25, 1898.) (No Model.)

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llNiTEn STATES PATENT @EET-EE.

GEORGE F. BALLOU, OF NEV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO HENRY N. FISHER, OF VVALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

KNIFE-GRINDlNe MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 621,204, dated March 14, 1899.

l Application filed November 25, 1898. Serial No. 697,310. (No model.)

To all. whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. BALLOU, of New York, in the county of` New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knife-Grinding Machines,` of which the following is a description sufliciently full, clear, and exact to enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains or with which it is most nearly connected to make and use the same.

This invention relates to devices or machines for sharpening knives, scissors, and the blades of other cutlery and contrivances.

It is designed more especially for domestic use-that is, for use by housewives in sharpening the blades of kitchen and table cutlery; but it will appear obvious that it may be employed as well in other places and by any person or persons where a machine possessing its capabilities is desired for use.

My invention has for its object the provision of a knife-sharpening device which shall be entirelyl efficient in the attainment of its ends, be capable of exactly right use even in the hands of mechanically-unskilled persons, be durable and not likely to get out of order, and, in general, to fulfil perfectly all of the objects or ends which may be desired in a knife-Sharpener employed for domestic or common use.

My invention consists, generically-that is, without attempting to specify the various forms or species-of two wheels or cylinders provided on their peripheries with flat-faced helically-formed ribs, the ribs on one wheel coordinating with the grooves form ed between each two ribs on the opposite wheel, the two wheels being arranged face to face and adapted to be rotated in opposite directions, so that by placing the edge of a knife between the tworotatin g surfaces the ribs will act to grind the said edge with a motion of the grindingsurfaces running lengthwise of the knife as well as from the edge toward the back.

In constructing the device l prefer to have the ribs of one wheel sink, as it were, slightly into the grooves of the opposite wheel, so that the sides and edges of the opposing ribs will overlap, thus insuring the grinding of a perfect edge on the blade.

Reference is to be had to the annexed draw- 'be sharpened by the machine.

ings, and to the letters marked thereon, forming apart of this specification, the same letters designating the same parts or features, as the case may be, wherever they occur.

Of t-he drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of my knife-Sharpener, showing it as clamped upon the edge of a table'or other similar support. Fig. 2 is a front View ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 4 is adiagrammatic View showing the manner in which the sides or edges of the ribs on the grinding-wheels overlap and the manner in which they act upon the blade of a knife to produce a perfectly sharp edge.

In the drawings, c designates the base of 'the machine, which is adapted by a suitable clamping means, as that shown at l), to be secured to the edge of a table or other suit' able support c. From the base a there eX- tends upward a bracket d, integrally or otherwisevconnected with the base a, the said bracket forming bearings for the shaft e, to which the toothed gear-wheels f are secured. Afiixed to one end of the shaft c is a crank g for turning the shaft and the gear-wheels f, the teeth of the latter meshing with teeth formed on a hub h of the grinding-wheels te". The said grinding-wheels are journaled in bearings connected with a wheel-frame j of suitable form and size, said wheel-frame being connected or secured to the base a.

The grinding-wheels it" have helical grooves 7c 7c formed in their peripheries, so as to leave ribs Z l' .between each two of said grooves, the outer surfaces of which ribs form the grinding-surfaces for the knife or other blade to The ribs Z Z are of corresponding width to the grooves, and the arrangement is such that when the two wheels are placed face to face the ribs on one wheel will coordinate with and iit into the grooves of the opposite wheel. In practice the wheels are arranged so that the ribs on one wheel will extend slightly into the grooves of the opposite wheel, thus causing the sides of the ribs to slightly overlap, as is clearly shown in diagram in Fig. 4.

' Connected with the tie-bar m of the wheel- -frame j or with any other suitable part of the IOO space between them, as may best be seen in Fig. 2, so that a blade placed between the guides will be held vertically in position between the two wheels and the edge of the blade will come down as close as is possible between the bite of the two wheels, which being rotated in opposite directions and in the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4 will operate through the medium of the surfaces of the ribs upon the blade of the knife to form a perfect edge thereon. The guides a n are made in spring form, so that they may adjust themselves to the varying thickness of dilferent blades.

By forming the ribs in a helical manner, as shown and described, in their grinding operation upon a blade placed between them they will have a tendency not only to grind the blade from the edge toward the back, but also to move lengthwise of the blade, imparting a draw grinding action upon the blade,which is necessary or desirable in order to form a. perfect edge.

By reason of the fact that the sides or edges of the ribs overlap it is possible for the blade being operated upon to be pressed down between the two wheels to the point where a perfect edge can be formed thereon, which would be difficult, if not impossible, if the surface of one wheel rolled upon that of the other, all as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Projecting outward and upward from the wheel-frame j along the periphery of one of the wheels is a bracket o, having a table or rest p formed upon its upper end, the upper surface of which rest is flat and in practice about seven-sixteenths of an inch below the axes of the grinding-wheels. The said rest p is provided for a support and guide for a scissors-blade, which it may be desired to sharpen by theinvention. By resting the fiat face of a scissors or shear blade upon the rest p and pressing it against the opposing wheel a shear-blade can be easily and quickly sharpened.

The peripheries of the grinding-wheels t' t" may be double-threaded as well as single, as shown in the drawings, and the thread may be coarser or finer, as desired. Thecoarser the thread-that is, where the ribs extend at a greater angle with reference to the axes of the wheels-the greater will be the tendency of the grinding operations upon the blade to move lengthwise of the latter, and it will follow that. the grinding operation will tend to sharpen the blade faster where the pitch of the ribs is coarse than where they are finer.

In my invention I attach great importance to the fact that the grinding-wheels are provided with alternating ribs and grooves runninghelically therearound, and, furthermore, that the ribs on one wheel coordinate with the grooves upon the opposite wheel and that the sides of the ribs overlap, as before stated.

By constructing the grinding-wheels with helically-formed ribs -having fiat faces, with the ribs of one wheel sinking into the grooves of the other, so that the sides of the ribs overlap, as shown, two material and quite advantageous ends are accomplished-namely, the blade being sharpened may be ground to a keen edge and the whole length from side to side of the grinding-wheels will be acted upon uniformly without moving the blade longitudinally. These are the important results accomplished by my improvements.

I prefer to make the wheels of soft castiron,which is quite porous, and to apply to the same oil and flour of emery or other grinding substance. In such ease the emery or other grinding substance will work into the pores of the iron and eventually form one of the best possible permanent grinding-surfaces. I would have it understood, however, that I propose to make the wheels of any suitable material, so long as they do substantially the same thing is substantially the same way as the wheels described herein. For example, I may make the wheels of emery entirely or form them entirely out of oil-stone or other grinding substance. Furthermore, I do not confine my invention to the precise means herein shown and described for rotating the wheels, since it is obvious that this can be done by various means quite as efficient as those shown.

Having thus explained the nature of the invention and described a way of constructing and using the same, though without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of its use, it is declared that what is claimed isl. A knife-Sharpener comprising in its construction two rotary wheels arranged face to face and provided on their peripheries with helically-forlned ribs having fiat faces, the

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ribs of one wheel cord'inatin g with the spaces or grooves between two ribs of the opposing wheel, said ribs sinking into said grooves or spaces to effectuate the overlapping of the sides or edges of the opposing ribs.

2. A knife-Sharpener comprising in its construction two rotary wheels arranged face to face and provided on their peripheries with helieally-formed ribs having flat faces, the ribs of one wheel cordinatin g with the spaces or grooves between two ribs of the opposing wheel, said ribs sinking into said grooves or spaces to effectuate the overlapping of the sides or edges of the opposing ribs, combined with a guide or holder at the ends of the wheels for maintaining the blade being sharpened in vertical position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 16th day of November, A. D. 1898.

GEORGE F. BALLOU.

Vitnesses:

CLARENCE B. CAMPBELL, EUGENE CONRAN.

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